The Olden - Chapter Two - Channing Bendtsen

The Olden - Chapter Two - Channing Bendtsen

The first chapter is in the files as well for the last meetup. Not necessarily looking for critique on the first chapter. It’s just recommended reading before reading this.

Summary: Lizza is a sorceress of the law investigating the old woman, Sera. Without her knowledge she is sent to a different universe to bring Sera into custody, but magic works differently in this universe. She must first get a familiar, a cat, to regain her powers, then figure out a way to get back to her realm. In the process she begins to doubt her beloved and all-powerful High Chancellor, the person who sent her on this mission, as well as aligning herself with the fugitive, Sera, and her comrades.

Alright! Second run. Thoughts?

For those who missed last meeting, I submitted this chapter, but it was pretty much just filler. I revamped it, and hope it feels and reads better.

Lizza woke to the sound of humming. She recognized the tune. During the revolution loyalist men and women sang it as a battle cry and uniting anthem. A door opened and quietly squeaked shut, and the humming continued away from Lizza’s room. She lay in a four poster bed enclosed by drapes.. She wasn’t sure what time it was, but she could tell by her aches that she’d been sleeping for a long time. She felt a weight on her chest but her mind was clear and open. When she tried to sense where she was she realized why her mind was unusually calm. The usual hectic warmth of magic instead sat quietly at the back of her mind, humming soflty. She sat up quickly in surprise but immediately fell back down, as her vision went blurry at the edges. She sighed. She pushed aside the thoughts about life without magic as soon as they started, they would only depress and confuse her. She decided instead to think of how to get back to Listrial, her home world, and why the Chancellor sent her here in the first place; to bring into custody the fugitive Sera Ollentia of Harmon.

The humming returned and seconds later the door squeaked open again.

She spoke softly, “Lizza.” It was the old lady. “I brought you some food; you should be starving after what you’ve been through.” Glass tinkled as she placed a tray of food on a table near the bed. Footsteps slowly approached as Sera drew back the bed’s curtains.

The old lady continued to walk around the bed, opening the curtains, allowing Lizza to see the room. It was large, with minimal furnishings.

The old lady motioned for Lizza to sit up, and while Lizza brought herself into a slouched sitting position, her care-taker propped up the legs across her lap.

“What is this?” Lizza asked, eyeing the food.

“I didn’t feel you should be eating rich foods, so I made turkey sandwiches with chicken broth and a bit of lemonade.”

Lizza picked up the sandwich and marveled at the softness and whiteness of the bread. She didn’t dare touch the suspiciously yellow liquid, but as she took a bite of the sandwich she felt her stomach growl in hunger. Sera handed Lizza a napkin and stood back to take in Lizza’s bedraggled appearance. She quickly looked away though, as Lizza began to dig into her small feast.

Lizza ignored the spoon placed next to her steaming bowl of broth and picked it up with both hands and drank. When she finished the bowl she turned her attention to the yellow drink called lemonade. Ice cubes floated around in the liquid, and when Lizza picked it up she quite liked its cool temperature. She brought it to her lips and found she loved it. She chugged it in four gulps.

She turned to Sera, who sat in a chair a few feet from the bed. The old woman smiled, but in her eyes, Lizza could see that she was worried for Lizza’s state. Remembering what manner lessons she had been forced to sit through Lizza delicately wiped her mouth with her napkin.

There was a slight pause, then the old lady inquired, “Would you like to take a nice long hot bath?” A smile spread across her face, “You’ll find it soothes the senses more than you remember.”

“I don’t think that that will be necessary,” Lizza tried to sit up straighter in bed, but found her arms too weak to succeed such a feat.

Sera faced the bed and waited for the questions to come.

“What happened yesterday? Why did you drain me of my magic?”

Sera’s face dropped. She sighed before beginning, “I didn’t drain you of your magic. You still have some power bouncing around inside of you.” Delsin, her fat tabby familiar trotted into the room and sat at the old lady’s feet. “The nature of magic in this realm is such that you can only control it with the aid of a familiar. You had lost control, and I was worried for your safety.” Delsin jumped into Sera’s lap and purred. He faced Lizza with a smile which Lizza did not return.

“If you were concerned for my safety, then why did you shoot a burst of power at me?” As she recalled the event, she still couldn’t understand the lady’s motives for attacking a sorceress of the law with an unfocused wave of energy. She needed her notepad, so she could write down her observations while they were still fresh, but a glance about the room showed no sign of her bag.

“Yes, well, how was I supposed to know Martin sent you here on false pretenses? I knew you were coming, but he should have prepared you better if he meant you to succeed at your mission,” her eyes wandered to the ceiling and she sighed. “It seems he betrayed you as he did me.” Lizza could not form words at the thought. Her stomach dropped and she feared she would lose the food she just finished eating.

“Now don’t get upset, we’ll figure this out.” Sera stood up which forced Delsin to jump to the floor. “But we can’t really do anything with you an invalid. How about that bath?”

Lizza just nodded and the old lady went to a door next to the wardrobe and entered. Lizza heard the sound of rushing water. She moved the tray to the bedside table and swung her legs around to the floor. A pain at the nape of her neck throbbed and she closed her eyes, willing it to go away. It eased slightly and Lizza opened her eyes. No blurriness formed at the edge of her vision, so she stood up to join Sera in the bathroom.

“This is the bathroom; it has a place where you can wash up in the mornings. There is a shower, I know it looks like a strange contraption, but I’ll tell you about how that works later.” Lizza eyed the glass chamber that featured an oddly shaped hose and a drain in the tiled floor. “What I pride myself on is this lovely tub.”

Sera left Lizza alone with a few instructions. Firstly that when she was done she should call for her. And secondly to not drown, because it would be a sorry thing indeed to have her first real guest in about a decade only to have her drown in the deepest tub in the entire house.

The bath was wonderful, and Lizza’s body was tired and sore. Its herbs’ scent filled her nostrils and soothed her aches, but they couldn’t calm her racing thoughts. Sera was right about the Chancellor. If he had really wanted her to bring Sera back for trial on more than ten counts of magical misconduct including treason and murder, he would have sent her with at least the knowledge that she would be going to a different realm. He would definitely have included the fact that she would lose her powers in the order.

When she took the order, she had thought it’s lack of detail to be a result of lack of intel, and she often took orders with less information. This was different. Her mind searched for some explanation of the situation that didn’t involve the Chancellor betraying her. Perhaps the Chancellor himself didn’t know that the fugitive was hiding out in a different realm? Though he had sent her to that creepy transport warlock, Larton, so he knew the journey was far. She had never known the Chancellor to use such a back-alley means of transportation for a mission. The ache in her skull returned and the exhaustion returned as a weight in her gut.

She began to meditate which, in the past, helped clear her mind so her powers could come into their full strength. But considering her lack of powers, the meditation did more good in the calming of her soul. Slowly, some of her anxiety and desperation floated away with her thoughts, and she found a point of focus. She needed to get back to Listrial, with or without Sera in hand.

To do so, she needed her powers back. Sera seemed willing to answer her questions about this realm and it’s magical ways, however much Lizza disliked the answers.

Sleep pulled at her thoughts and she remembered Sera’s warning about drowning.

Next to her sat a bar of soap. She quickly used the bar, rinsed herself off and called for the old woman.

After helping Lizza out of the bath and into bed again, Sera closed the curtains around the bed. They exchanged only a few words in those moments, and Lizza appreciated Sera’s silence. She didn’t have the energy for more investigation.

~~~~~~

“How long has she been asleep?” Lizza heard from behind the closed door leading to the hallway. It came from a woman whose voice she didn’t know.

“She woke up yesterday for about an hour, just enough to eat and bathe. Before then she’d been asleep for something like 40 hours,” whispered Sera. A hushed “oh” followed from the strange woman, and they entered.

They pulled the curtains back, but it was still dark. The sky shone pink through the windows. Lizza suspected it was about sunset, but the beauty was lost on her magicless eyes. Lizza did not try to hide the fact that she was awake. She only stared at her visitors with tired annoyance.

The smell of cats and farm entered the room as the women did. Along with the scents the stranger brought with her vibrant colors, and vivacious energy mixed with busy concern. Her garb was mostly all knitted, except her pants, which were a pink fabric unknown to Lizza. Her undershirt, simple white, and her socks looked grey and worn. She was not as old as the lady, but was a fair distance older than Lizza. Her face was tan and smiley.

“Lizza, this is Theodora.” At this Theodora waved and smiled. The old lady continued, “She often comes to the house from her own farm to help me out, or just to visit.” They both smiled at Lizza and an awkward silence ensued.

“Would you like another bath, Lizza?” the old lady wondered.

“Yes,” Lizza released with a sigh. As Sera drew the bath, Theodora brought the chair closer to the bed and sat to Lizza’s right.

“I suppose you haven’t had much time to talk with Sera about how you’ll be able to keep your powers, though I bet it’s been on your mind,” Theodora smiled then added, “When you’ve been conscious.”

Lizza sat up in bed and waited for the woman to continue.

“Well,” Theodora said as she placed her hand lightly on her chest. “I will be the person to guide you to find your familiar.”

Lizza took this in with as much enthusiasm as possible and gave Theodora a weak smile.

It seemed that Theo felt a little uneasy about Lizza’s silence, for she took to looking around at her surroundings until Sera reentered the room to announce the bath was ready.

After the bath, Lizza searched for her clothes which had been placed in the wardrobe across from the bed. She discovered her white blouse and brown trousers clean and folded on one of the many shelves in the wardrobe, but there was no sight of her shoes nor leather coat. Her bag also remained to be found. While Lizza brought her blouse over her head, she noted that her aches had disappeared. Her mind felt clear and when she looked for the source of her power she found nothing.

In shock, she brought her hand to her mouth and stood there looking at her bare feet. If she had allowed them, tears would have welled up in her eyes. But she broke herself off from the stupor and approached the window. Below she saw the garden of terraces with its water falls and pools, which sparkled in the light of the high sun.

Sera pulled flowers and weeds, placing the former in a basket and throwing the latter to the side. Delsin wove in and out of ferns, stalking a small bird with mottled feathers. Sera looked up to Lizza’s window and they caught each other in a stare. Sera continued to stare. Her face was solemn, and when Lizza broke the moment, she thought that perhaps the old woman sensed her troubled thoughts. She finished changing and went to seek out the kitchen.

~~~~~

Lizza’s found Theo as she descended the stairs. She sat in a small reading nook adjoined to the kitchen which looked over the garden. When Theodora heard Lizza coming she closed her book, put it in her lap, took off her reading glasses and smiled.

“Well, don’t you look amazing, though your cloths are a little dull,” she mentioned with a frown. She continued, “Sera is out back,” she gestured with her thumb to the window behind her. Abruptly she said, “I bet you’re hungry.”

After leading Lizza to the large kitchen, Theodora took a large glass of lemonade from a large pantry with metallic doors that was kept cold inside. She then went to one of the many dark wooden cabinets and took out two glasses and two plates. “Sit down, make yourself comfortable,” she said. Lizza took a seat at a raised stool and watched Theo pull makings of a sandwich out of the shiny contraption and prepare their simple lunch.

With their sandwiches in front of them, and with nothing stopping them from digging in, Theodora exclaimed, “Bon appetit!”

This time Lizza took slow and deliberate bites and sips from her meal. As Theodora waited for Lizza to finish she explained that Sera always went outside to her garden in the morning through late afternoon, and when she did, Delsin stayed with her; not on her heals, but always keeping tabs on where she was. While Lizza half listened to Theo’s ramblings she tried to determine what use Sera would have for this magicless woman as an ally. Aside from her colorfulness and high spirit, she could find no answer.

Theo put their dishes in the sink, and they went out to see Sera.

Delsin trotted slowly toward them as they passed through the back door to the garden. He leapt into Theodora’s arms, and she quietly caught him. He immediately began purring and crooning his head towards hers.

“Hello, my friend! My, aren’t we happy today?” she said. “I haven’t seen you like this for many months.” At this he let escape a short meow and jumped from her embrace to find his owner. They followed him down three levels of garden and found her as Lizza had found her when they’d first met, on the ground digging in the dirt.

“Sera!” Theodora exclaimed with great surprise, “What are you doing in the dirt?! Need I remind you of the age you are not-so-slowly approaching?” Sera gave her friend a friendly glare, then smiled and hefted herself to her feet, basket of flowers in hand.

“I was just digging up some more worms,” she explained, “and getting some more flowers for the house. With most of my flowers in full bloom, I wanted the house to match the yard.” She then addressed Lizza. “How was your bath? You look completely recovered.” Lizza nodded and replied that it was refreshing, cordially. “I can feel that you’ve got your strength back, though I’m not sure you actually understand fully what happened so unfortunately last week.” Her tone felt genuine, but a small part of Lizza couldn’t help sense condescension in her voice.